We are 5 days in to 2012 and I am just finding the time to stop by and say hello! 2011 was jam packed with good times, busy times and a few bumpy times that make me glad we are moving right along into 2012. :) I am excited to face this new year; lots of fun, memorable days are headed our way!
Before the time gets away, I'd like to go back and recap 2011.
January, Jeremy and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary about the same time we found out baby number 2 was on the way. What a very special month to us!
February, was a little bit of a blur. That's when the first wave of morning sickness hit and even though I wasn't diagnosed, I believe I had the flu. It was the sickest I have ever been, and forced me to spend my first night away from Ella Claire. This was also the month that Ella Claire stopped sleeping at night and started climbing out of her crib. Fun times! On a brighter side, we shared our exciting news of our growing family with our families and friends, with homemade Valentine cards that I had made back in January, just in case I got sick again with this pregnancy. Glad I thought ahead. :)
March was also a blur, probably even more so than February. I didn't even take one picture this entire month. Honestly, the only memories I have of March are of me lying on the sofa and letting Ella Claire watch more TV than she should. This is where her fondness for Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse started.
April was much better! The first weekend of the month we had a wedding out of town. The night before we left, I was throwing up and wondering how in the world I would make the trip. To my WONDERFUL surprise, I woke up the next morning feeling much better and ready to travel. Even though I had a few days here and there of not feeling very well, I never got sick again after that night. Ella Claire and I pulled out our outside water toys and spent the entire month in the backyard, enjoying the sunshine. Later this month we found out baby #2 was another girl and we couldn't have been more delighted!
In May we watched Steph and Jess graduate from college, celebrated Madelaine's first birthday, my 27th birthday and Steph and Andrew's engagement. Lots of celebrating this month!
June was blazing hot down here in the South! We spent some time with my moms side of the family at the beach and had a great time! Jeremy and Brian also started their own business. This has been a long time dream of Jeremy's and oh has he learned a lot! :) This month was also a little sad. We had to say goodbye to some dear friends and neighbors who moved a few hours north for a new job. We still miss you terribly Ferguson family!!
July brought my first experience with a sinus infection and with pink eye (that Ella Claire so lovingly shared) and a wonderful weekend visit from some old friends from Birmingham. This was also the month that Ella Claire was cleared from Dr. Nimit, her pediatric orthopedic surgeon. That's something I haven't ever mentioned on the blog, but that most people that we talk to regularly know about and helped pray us through. This was an answered prayer and a testimony of our faith! I have been meaning to blog about this, but haven't found the right time. I plan to in the future, though.
August was spent trying to get in as much family time as possible. We pulled out all of our little pink newborn clothes and I got to washin'! We also pulled out the carpet in EC and G's rooms and had hardwood floors installed. The wedding showers for Brian and Jess also began this month and Ella Claire got her first haircut!
September was my favorite month of all. We welcomed our little Gracie Joy into the world! What a wonderful gift she is to our family! The week before she arrived, we spent as much one on one time with Ella Claire, celebrated Jeremy's 27th birthday, and I hosted along with Kim and Steph, a lingerie shower for Jess. The rest of the month was spent loving on our girls, getting ready for Brian and Jess' wedding, helping my mom prepare for the rehearsal dinner, and a few more showers somewhere in between.
October was a busy one! We started off celebrating my dad's 60th birthday, then Ella Claire's second birthday. Then came the wedding and all of the fun activities surrounding it, the bridesmaid luncheon and rehearsal dinner. Later in the month, we took Ella Claire and Gracie to the pumpkin patch and Ella Claire dressed up as a cat for our church fall festival.
November was spent recovering from September and October. We stayed at home a lot as the weather turned cooler. Even though I still have a lot to learn, I got brave and put my camera in manual mode and actually got a few good pictures. The end of the month was spent being thankful for all the blessings and lessons learned this year.
December was filled with lots of fun activities: a parade, a hayride through a live nativity, shopping, a cookie swap, a visit with Santa, baking for our neighbors, baking for our family, and lots of family time! Gracie also had her first Christmas.
What a year! I'm so grateful to our Heavenly Father for another year of good health and protection for each one of us. I've mentioned that we had a few bumps in the road throughout the year, but I'm even thankful for them. Through those trials, the Lord has become our rock and drawn us closer to Him. He has taught us like never before that even in a storm, you can have peace and if you continue to keep your eyes on Him, He will show you the way.
Thanks for checking in and reading my blog this year. I've really enjoyed your comments and also loved checking my stats to find I've actually had readers. :) Hope 2011 was good to you and praying 2012 will be even better!
